Why do people get so riled up about tennnis clothes?

[Anonymous]

I never gave this much thought before, not having played since college, but I recently started taking lessons again, and sometimes after a class, I stop by the grocery on my way home. There is nowhere to change at the public court where I play, and I can't change in my car (believe me, I've tried), so once a week or so I end up at WF in tennis gear. Why is this so much worse than showing up at the store in running shorts or other workout clothes? Is my Lands End shirt more of a class signifier than another woman's Lululemon yoga pants or, for that matter, Vuitton bag?

[Anonymous]

Who cares what people think? Wear what you want, where you want.

[Anonymous]

I generally do. I'm just curious. Of course, I may regret that.

[Anonymous]

Can someone explain why casual players even wear tennis clothes around here? I grew up with a lot of tennis around, but even my tennis instructors wore regular exercise-y clothes, as did everyone playing at the courts I used or passed. I had one friend training intensively for really competitive/ eventually professional tennis, and she wore proper tennis dresses, but no one I knew who played for recreation did.

[Anonymous]

Some clubs, like St Alban's, still require/request tennis whites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain why casual players even wear tennis clothes around here? I grew up with a lot of tennis around, but even my tennis instructors wore regular exercise-y clothes, as did everyone playing at the courts I used or passed. I had one friend training intensively for really competitive/ eventually professional tennis, and she wore proper tennis dresses, but no one I knew who played for recreation did.

I enjoy the comfort of the tennis dress.

[Anonymous]

No doubt because it provides more Lebensraum.

[Anonymous]

Because people don't want to look at your leathery, crepey, sun damaged skin.

And to the poster who keeps posting a photo of Hitler in her response to various posts, stop. It wasn't funny the first time.

[Anonymous]

Agree PP. It is creepy and disrespetful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain why casual players even wear tennis clothes around here? I grew up with a lot of tennis around, but even my tennis instructors wore regular exercise-y clothes, as did everyone playing at the courts I used or passed. I had one friend training intensively for really competitive/ eventually professional tennis, and she wore proper tennis dresses, but no one I knew who played for recreation did.

this

[Anonymous]

If you play tennis in regular exercise clothes, there's no place to store balls. That is exactly why I finally resorted to wearing the tennis stuff when I was playing regularly. I would leave the courts and occasionally run errands and all the while felt self-conscious despite the fact that my legs are pretty darn good. OTOH, once the legs start to go seriously downhill, a nice pair of long sweat pants will do the trick for me.

[Anonymous]

There are tennis shorts that look like regular workout shorts that store balls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some clubs, like St Alban's, still require/request tennis whites.

Exactly, so when you hang out in your tennis whites you are advertising the fact that you belong to an exclusive club. That may not be your intention, but it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

I play at a club that requires half-whites. So, that's what my tennis clothes are, and I'm certainly not going to buy extra tennis clothes for the occasions that I play elsewhere. Like most people I would think, I run errands on the way to and from tennis, just like I do to and from the way to yoga, to and from the office, and to and from pretty to and from much everything I do without my kids. The more I can get done in one trip the better. And I'm certainly not going to change clothes (whether out of sports clothes or out of a suit) in order to run errands to the Safeway, Target or a trip to the dry cleaners. Really, how much time are people supposed to take so that other people at the market approve of what they wear. That's just nuts!

[Anonymous]

I knew a woman in her early twenties who did not play tennis but wore tennis whites as an outfit. She thought it was a cute sporty outfit. Each to his own.